According to everyone but the Portland Trail Blazers’ front-office, LaMarcus Aldridge’s days in Oregon are over. The All-Star has reportedly informed his current employer that he’ll be signing with another

The big fella has played nine seasons in Portland, becoming an All-Star four times, and posted a career-high scoring average of 23.4 points this past season.

Per The Columbian and CSNNW:

The writing is on the wall that we’ve seen the last of LaMarcus Aldridge in a Portland Trail Blazers uniform. Their trade of Nicolas Batum on Wednesday might not be the end of Portland’s roster overhaul. […] A Western Conference executive with knowledge of the Aldridge pursuit has said that the free-agent has already informed the Blazers that he will not return to the Northwest.

When he asked Aldridge how to address the rumors, Olshey said Aldridge told him: “Just say it’s not true.” […] Aldridge will be an unrestricted free agent in less than a week, with many around the NBA mentioning San Antonio as the likely destination, with the Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers and even the Atlanta Hawks in the mix.

With his remarks on Thursday, Olshey wouldn’t submit to the idea Aldridge wouldn’t return to the Blazers, saying: “I can tell you that he has not informed anybody in this organization of his intention not to return to the team. […] “We’ve always known that LaMarcus was going to have a robust free agent market. It was a market we were going to compete in, it’s a market we’re still planning to compete it. But in no way has he given us any indication that he was not returning to the Trail Blazers.”

There have been rumors all summer long about forward LaMarcus Aldridge wanting out of Portland — this, despite his denial of the reports. Blazers GM Neil Olshey says it’s a simple matter of the media fabricating stories, and that the star forward is happy with the team and his situation. Per KATU (via Blazers Edge): “Where do LaMarcus Aldridge trade rumors come from? ‘I think it comes from all you [media] — everybody fighting to be first with inaccurate information. I can tell you, LaMarcus Aldridge, you guys have known him longer than I have. And if he had asked to be traded, he would have told people that he asked to be traded. He never asked to be traded. The fact that I had breakfast in a hotel lobby with [Arn Tellem], one of my oldest and best friends who I worked with for seven years, who also represents Robin Lopez and Dorell Wright, along with LaMarcus Aldridge, probably doesn’t lead to the fact that we’re trying to trade LaMarcus Aldridge. But, you know, like I said, it’s part of the business. LaMarcus understands it. He ignores it. If [Aldridge requesting a trade] was the case, we’d be dealing with it. It’s not. He’s happy.’ … ‘I think last year was a tough year for everybody. Portland is not a market that accepts losing. We’d tried not to rebuild but we always tried to be somewhat judicious in terms of how much future flexibility we gave away. To be honest with you, that’s the results of this offseason. Had we done more minor moves and put more assets in play, moved more draft picks, there wouldn’t have been a [Thomas] Robinson or a Robin Lopez. If we had given long-term deals to guys we weren’t totally sure on, there wouldn’t have been a Mo Williams today. I think what LaMarcus sees now — like what you just brought up — there is a plan. And we’re executing the plan and we’re going to stay disciplined and stay diligent about getting there as quickly as possible without jeopardizing the long-term health of the franchise. One thing we have to remember: LaMarcus is only 27. He’s been here a long time but he’s a young player in our league, in terms of how long his career is going to be. It will all work out really well in the end as long as we all stay on the same path.'”

Portland GM Neil Olshey made the Blazers’ position on the awkward Nic Batum situation crystal clear (he’s not going anywhere), despite a new trade offer from Minnesota. Per the Columbian and Star Tribune: “Portland restricted free agent Nicolas Batum is in France right now, but the forward was on record Tuesday saying that Minnesota was his preferred destination once the season began. And when Blazers general manager Neil Olshey was asked about Batum’s desire, he terminated all chances at becoming a future spokesman for the Land of 10,000 Lakes. ‘I guess he’s into mosquito bites and frostbite,’ Olshey said. Batum’s agent, Bouna Ndiaye, has been anything but subtle about broadcasting his client’s aspirations of becoming a Timberwolf, going so far as to say that Nic was unhappy in Portland. Batum denied that claim, which was probably smart, because Olshey said Wednesday that he still intended to match any offer sheet Minnesota would tender, even though the Wolves’ offer reportedly is for $45 million over four years. ‘I don’t believe in letting talent walk out the door,’ Olshey added. And apparently, Ndiaye doesn’t believe in negotiating. At least not in Batum’s case. Olshey said that the agent refused to sit down with him and work out a deal, choosing instead to let Batum test the free agent market. […] The Timberwolves accelerated their contentious pursuit of Portland restricted free agent Nicolas Batum on Wednesday, moving toward reaching a sign-and-trade arrangement for the 23-year-old swingman or offering Batum a painfully rich offer sheet that the Trail Blazers would have three days to match. ESPN the Magazine reported the teams were discussing a deal that would send two first-round picks and a veteran small forward from another team to the Blazers for Batum. The report said the Wolves will sign Batum to that offer sheet — Batum’s agent last week said the Wolves agreed to a four-year deal that will pay at least $45 million — if a trade agreement wasn’t reached by Wednesday night. The report didn’t identify the veteran small forward, but it is believed to be Chicago’s Kyle Korver, whose presence would fill Batum’s spot in Portland, give the Blazers the corner shooter they’ll lack and whose one-year contract would give the Blazers salary-cap flexibility next summer.”

It had been announced that Neil Olshey and the Clippers had reached an agreement on a contract extension, but because they are the Clippers, things are never that simple and straightforward with them. Olshey reversed course, and officially took the GM gig in Portland yesterday. From the Oregonian and OC Register: “The Trail Blazers on Monday hired Neil Olshey as their general manager, three days after the former Los Angeles Clippers executive was reported to have reached an agreement to stay with the Clippers. Portland swept in after contract negotiations with the Clippers broke down, and the Blazers will introduce Olshey in a Tuesday afternoon news conference. Olshey, 47, has been the Clippers vice president of basketball operations since March 2010 and has worked for the Clippers in varying roles for the past nine years. He is most known as the man who helped engineer the Clippers’ trade for All-Star guard Chris Paul last season. He comes to Portland in perhaps the most fluid time in the franchise’s history. The team needs a head coach, a starting point guard and a starting center, and the franchise owns several assets — most notably the No. 6 and No. 11 picks in the June 28 draft — as well as salary cap flexibility to make widespread changes. Olshey twice interviewed for the position — once in summer 2011, then again in late May with owner Paul Allen in London. He replaces Rich Cho, who was fired in May 2011, 10 months into his tenure. […] The man who assembled the most talented Clippers’ roster in history couldn’t agree to a contract with the organization and will now be working in Portland, doing his best to one-up his former employers. One weekend after the Clippers announced Neil Olshey would be back, the Clippers issued another announcement Monday, saying Olshey would no longer be working for the club. ‘Circumstances have obviously undergone some movement since our announcement Friday. In light of that, we want to wish Neil well and acknowledge his contributions during the time he spent with the Clippers,’ said Clippers’ President Andy Roeser in a statement.”

Eric Gordon thought he had assurances from the LA Clippers that he wouldn’t be dealt away, but of course, he’s now a New Orleans Hornet. Gordon and former Clipper Chris Kaman trashed the organization in an interview with Yahoo! Sports: “All you do is take the man’s word and take that he said that no one is going to go anywhere,’ Gordon said. ‘To completely lie like that is something unprofessional.’ After trade talks with the Hornets stalled Dec. 12, Clippers general manager Neil Olshey and coach Vinny Del Negro gathered the team’s players who had guaranteed contracts and told them the franchise planned to move forward with its current group. Gordon and Kaman now think they were deceived. Olshey disagrees. ‘I’m not deceptive enough to look players in the eye and tell them something that is not true,’ Olshey said. ‘And I can tell you from an ownership level, the president of our company, myself, we made a corporate decision Monday morning that when the deal didn’t go through on Sunday night we would no longer pursue the trade. And that’s when we notified our players, to get the elephant out of the room during our abbreviated training camp.’ […] ‘They came back to us with what we felt like was a more appropriate compensation package and we decided to do the deal,’ Olshey said. Said Gordon: ‘They literally told me as an organization that they wanted to keep me, and [the trade still] went down?’ News of the trade broke via Twitter and other social media outlets while Gordon and Kaman were at community events with Clippers season-ticket holders. Gordon found out while he was on a bus for the event and tweeted, ‘Wow.’ Kaman found out from his real-estate agent’s son. ‘He said, ‘Hey, you got traded.’ I was like, ‘C’mon,’ Kaman said. ‘Then everyone started talking to me like, ‘Hey, what happened?’ I was like, ‘I don’t know.’ Then my agent wasn’t calling me. I couldn’t get ahold of him. Then Farouq talked to his agent and said it was done. The Clippers didn’t tell me anything. They didn’t tell me I was traded or nothing after eight years. They didn’t have the guts to come tell me they traded me.’ Olshey said he and Del Negro were in the lobby of the Clippers’ practice facility waiting for the players to return from the events to discuss the trade. ‘Unfortunately in today’s social media it didn’t matter if they were home, on a bus, shootaround, out to dinner,’ Olshey said. ‘We would never get to them before other people got to them or it ended up on Twitter.'”

Because of his team’s miserable history, most hoops fans — Clips supporters exempted — would like to see Blake Griffin in another situation soon, but according to the Clippers’ front-office, he ain’t going anywhere. Ever. ESPN has the quotes: “It’s impossible to predict where Blake Griffin will be in the summer of 2014, when he will become an unrestricted free agent. But as far as the Los Angeles Clippers are concerned, he’s not going anywhere. ‘I can guarantee you he will only ever be a Clipper,’ general manager Neil Olshey said of his prized rookie. ‘If [Oklahoma City Thunder general manager] Sam Presti arrived on Kevin Durant’s doorstep at midnight on July 1st with an extension, understand that Blake Griffin lives two blocks away from me in Manhattan Beach so it’s going to be a much shorter commute for me … When it comes time for him to be a free agent, we won’t be losing,’ Olshey said. ‘We’re not losing now. We’re 10 out of 14 now with our All-Star center [Chris Kaman] sitting around in a suit. The future looks pretty good. The only question will be, in two or three years with Blake, is how much more we’ll be winning.'”